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Monthly Archives :

September 2021

320 Days in Lockdown
 320 Days in Lockdown 150 150
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Live and in-person at the Global Summit: Paul Louis Cole, John Binkley, and Robert Barriger at the CMN Summit 
CMN GLOBAL SUMMIT | “LIONS ROAR”
HOPE: Rise Up, Recover All
November 4-6, 2021 | Dallas
Dear Brother,

Think your battle looks too hard? I wish you could have joined me in Peru for 320 days in total lockdown.

In March 2020, Paul Cole and I were headed to Argentina to conduct a massive men’s event when instead, everything shut down. Paul was able to catch the last flight out of Peru at 2:30 in the morning. As the last plane left, everything stopped in Peru. 

During the next 320 days, our church family was scattered. Covid invaded our house—twice. Friends lost their lives. Karyn and I were huddled at home, unable to help, restricted even from going out on the streets. It was a tough, tough time.

When I was a kid, I dreamed of doing things. But I was a fatherless runaway living on the beach, riding waves every day. Then I met Jesus and got a new dream. I dreamed of a church. I dreamed of a ministry. I dreamed of having men in my life like my brothers in CMN. 

God gave me all my dreams and more. But every now and then, especially during this past year, I wonder, why can’t this dream ever get any easier?

Lots of men are thinking the same right now. But—God is speaking to men as he spoke to David centuries ago after a terrible defeat that cost him his family. God’s word for us today is:
TAKE COURAGE. 
HAVE HOPE!
RISE UP AND RECOVER ALL.

That’s the theme for this year’s CMN Global Summit, “Lions Roar,” on November 4-6 in Dallas, Texas.

I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it. 

After this lockdown, I need to be with men of God, with men of courage, with men who inspire me to have HOPE. To RISE UP AND RECOVER ALL.

What has God done before when I found the courage to rise up and recover all?

I’ll tell you.

My wife, our two babies, and I arrived in Peru 35 years ago. All of our support came from friends through a post office box 12 miles from our house. On my weekly trek to the post office box, I would pray that a check would be there waiting.

On my walk one day, a nine-year-old boy looked up at me and said, “Can I be a woman for you?” He was hungry, so he had learned to prostitute himself to eat. 

I thought, “Oh God, what kind of men would abuse kids this way?”

I prayed hard for God to send someone to help these kids. I prayed hard for my adopted nation. And I prayed hard for enough money to feed my own family for another week.

One day as I prayed, I heard a voice say, “Who will I send?” I had been praying for some big leader to come to help Peru. Instead, God laid it on me. 

I thought, how could that be? I was just a born-again surfer who could barely raise enough money to feed my kids and keep ministering.

Friends helped me build our first orphanage. In the jungle where we ministered, an Ashaninka Indian tribal chief got word to us that his son was going to be kidnapped by terrorists. I asked how many kids were at risk. He said, “All of them.” 

I said, “We’ll take them all.” 

I didn’t know how God would provide, but I had to do what God said to do. 

It wasn’t easy. The dream has never been easy.
We rescued an entire village of kids. The next generation of Ashaninkas was raised in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that chief’s son went all the way through college.

There’s nothing easy about what God asks us to do, but we just do it anyway. 

In CMN, we say, “We are CMN. We rescue men!” 

JOIN THE BROTHERHOOD AT CMN GLOBAL SUMMIT

It’s not easy to rescue some men. And sometimes, it’s not easy to rescue ourselves.

Some rescues are messy. But let’s do it anyway!

The battle you fight today to recover from the pandemic, to keep your marriage together, to find a new job or a new way to make a living, to build your own business—these are all winnable battles. 
Sure, these are tough days, but we do it anyway.

When you rise up and recover all, the rest of us draw strength and courage from seeing your victories.

And you’ll draw strength and courage from seeing our victories at this year’s “Lions Roar” CMN Global Summit.

SAVE $100 WHEN YOU REGISTER TODAY

So, if somehow my story gives you the hope you need today, I’d love to hear about it at Lions Roar. I’ll see you there.

We are CMN. We rescue men. Even during a pandemic.

Your friend,

Robert Barriger 
And to that, I say: Do it anyway.
You haven’t lost, it’s not over yet
 You haven’t lost, it’s not over yet 150 150
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CMN GLOBAL SUMMIT | “LIONS ROAR”
HOPE: Rise Up, Recover All
November 4-6, 2021 | Dallas
This year’s Global Summit, live and in person, will provoke an exponential explosion of fresh ideas, new aggressive implementation, “good works,” powerful strategies for reaching men in the streets and cities of our world.

Every speaker is uniquely qualified to inspire, instruct and engage us to be in the world and reach the world – until we reach every street and every heart.  

Today’s world doesn’t need a few nice guys in the church. The world needs men with resolve who refuse to back down. Men with a sword. Men who are STRONG! 

The Apostle Paul described the clothing of a man who is a warrior, resilient, faithful, bold, and ready for battle.. He said: We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
 
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Eph 6:10-12, 17-18)

The sword of the Spirit – that’s our weapon. God’s presence always prevails.

REGISTER TODAY TO JOIN THE BROTHERHOOD.

These are the men who are joining together at the CMN Summit – men with swords. Men who take care of their brothers. Men who gather other men around them to experience the power of the Word together. 

Your family, church, and community need you…a man who is overflowing with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit!

Early Registration is open for this year’s annual gathering of the brotherhood in Dallas, TX. November 4 – 6.

REGISTER TODAY and SAVE OVER $100. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you in the center of the battle. 

Dangerous, daring, resilient, faithful…Stronger.

Today is our 50th Anniversary!
 Today is our 50th Anniversary! 500 500 brianboyd
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My remarkable wife Judi and I have been married 50 years today. FIFTY.

We’ve had some amazing days and some difficult ones – but we are here – resilient, in love, faithful, blessed, and fired up about the future.

I remember the first time I saw her across a crowded room at a youth conference when I was 17. I remember our first kiss. I remember her walking down the aisle of the church in Santa Rosa, California, fifty years ago.

And I remember the many times she has shown such great courage. As she wrote this scripture to friends last November, little did she know how real that verse would become just a few weeks later when she was diagnosed with cancer and then healed of it.
 
“Fear not, for I am with you. Do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will hold you up and retain you with my VICTORIOUS right hand of rightness and justice.” AMP Isaiah 41:10

Her scripture of encouragement parallels the scripture God gave me as a young man, still alive in my heart today:
 
The steps of a good man are
 ordered by the Lord,
 And He delights in his way.
 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
 For the Lord upholds him with His hand.  Psalm 37;23,24 NKJV

Today’s journey may be ordered or rocky, but it always comes back to this: Keep showing up.
 
The love of God is without condition, but His promises are conditional on our faithful obedience.
 
Someone asked me yesterday how to stay married for fifty years – I said: Keep showing up.
 
That’s who we are as stalwart men of CMN.

We make mistakes, but we repent, get back up, and get cranked up again, because we…Keep showing up.
 
I am most blessed because Judi gave me her hand as a helpmeet, wife, and lover. Our grandchildren adore their ‘Gammi’ and her children respect and love her.

Thank you, Judi, for filling my life with love and beauty and life and courage. I would do it all again. Every moment… though I’d do a few things better. 

Because of all of this, Judi and I are filled with this year’s theme for the CMN Global Summit – HOPE.

We could have lost hope many times. But God kept his word. God was faithful. God was full of mercy and grace.

Because when we show up, God will always, always, always keep showing up.

Elijah’s temptation to quit / MNM
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The same temptations to quit that happened to Elijah are the same for every man.

Elijah had just finished a huge battle. He won. He had victory – but he was tired … and alone. Then the culture wanted to cancel him. 

In 1 Kings 18 we find Elijah wiped out tired, sitting under a tree, running from a queen who wanted to kill him. He had just killed over 400 of her pagan priests, had called fire from heaven, had raised a boy from the dead, had prayed and it didn’t rain – and prayed again and it rained three and a half years later. 

This man was a warrior, but he was tired. Here’s the five temptations that happen to all of us;

Depression, despair, inferiority, resignation, failure. A spirit of negativity had captured his thoughts. Then, God encouraged him. “Elijah, I’m here”, God said. Then God told him this – “Elijah, there are 7,000 other men who are your brothers and are following me with the same passion. You’re not alone”. 

What Elijah needed to hear was that God affirmed him and that other men were with him. That’s why we do the Global Summit in November – to be with men fighting the same fights, to encourage our hearts, to rise up with courage. That’s why we do Monday Night Men and the BraveMen podcast … to stir up courage in our hearts!

Paul later told his young student Timothy, “God did not give you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and strong wisdom”. That’s the presence of God in your life.

MONDAY NIGHT MEN. YouTube 8pm Central and staying on that site all week is the third session of Real Man. This is one you need.

Rise up from the temptation trap of Elijah – you’re not alone. You have brothers. And God has placed in your heart the fulness of His presence and power.

Join us tonight or this week for Monday Night Men (type that in your YouTube browser – or meet us on the Christian Men’s Network Facebookpage). 

Rise up. Walk with the Lord, be filled with courage.

2977 – 20 years later – remember this
 2977 – 20 years later – remember this 800 450 brianboyd
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2977

That’s the number of people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the United States, September 11, 2001.

And today, 20 years later, over 18,000 first responders are dealing with life-threatening diseases from the ground zero destruction.

The victims were sons and daughters, moms and dads, husbands and wives… some were able to call home before the final moment, some jumped to escape the flames – perishing on their own terms … some prayed final prayers as the falling buildings consumed their dreams and for all of us – the deadly and deranged evil of men attempted to stop the destiny of a people.

Some rushed into the buildings. Others helped the thousands of wounded and displaced.

All were heroes.

Today as we remember those heroes our greatest weapons continue to be faith and works…prayer and action. Loving God and loving others.

Pray for our nation, our leaders, pray for the church… and pray for the churches in the terrorist nations, pray for believers standing strong for their faith in the midst of terrible persecution… pray for the troops, pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to be established on the earth!

When you pray, things shift on the face of the earth.
 
2 Cor. 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

And, touch someone with the love of Christ today. Help a friend, encourage your loved ones, volunteer in your community, get busy in the planting of the love of God in your city.

We are in a fight, and the final victory is assured.

HOPE IS ALIVE. HOPE HAS A NAME. HOPE’S NAME IS JESUS!

join the brotherhood tonight
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Tonight we continue the work to become a man of courage, vision, endurance, faith, love, power, action, and grace. MONDAY NIGHT MEN is cranked up at 8:00 pm Central and premiere’s LIVE on YouTube and Facebook.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT

While the world is obsessively leaning into negativity, we as Christian men are fully embracing the freedom and positive nature found in Jesus Christ. Our study on The Real Man book is just about that – freedom in our minds and hearts.
 
Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 16:13,14 “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.” (HCSB translation) Another translation puts it this way, “ Keep your eyes open for spiritual danger; stand true to the Lord; act like men; be strong;” (TLB translation)

Tonight at 8:00 pm Central, premiering LIVE on YouTube and Facebook. MONDAY NIGHT MEN.

You can then access these inspirational 28-minute videos anytime. They are there for your men’s group, personal study or to share with someone else. 

Remember what we’ve talked about for decades, MEN AND NATIONS ARE NOT GREAT BY VIRTUE OF THEIR WEALTH BUT BY THE WEALTH OF THEIR VIRTUE. 

The legacy of our lives will be the moral courage with which we navigated this chaotic world. That only happens in the full embrace of Jesus.

HOPE IS ALIVE. HOPE HAS A NAME. HOPE’S NAME IS JESUS!

I’ll see you on Monday Night Men!